■ China
Failure on environment
Environment protection efforts have failed to make any headway over the last three years as compared with other nations, state media reported yesterday. A new government report ranks the country 100th on a list of 118 developing and developed countries in terms of "ecological modernization," the same ranking it held in 2004, Xinhua news agency said. The Modernization Report 2007 details research and opinions of experts and scholars in the Chinese Academy of Science, the Ministry of Science and Technology and China's elite universities.
■ China
Japan talks wrapped up
Ministers from China and Japan wrapped up three days of closed-door strategic talks over the weekend, vowing to build "mutually beneficial" ties, Chinese state media reported yesterday. The talks, the seventh in a series kicked off in 2005, were carried out by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo (戴秉國) and Japan's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Shotaro Yachi, the Xinhua news agency reported.
■ Singapore
Drug smugglers arrested
Two Malaysians were among six suspected drug traffickers arrested in a weekend sting in which 1.4kg of heroin was seized, the anti-narcotics agency said. The other suspects nabbed were a 55-year-old Chinese man, two Singaporean men and one other person whose nationality was not declared, a statement on the Central Narcotics Bureau said late on Saturday. The bureau said all six had been charged with trafficking in a controlled drug, but did not say if they faced the death penalty if convicted.
■ India
France honors film legend
France conferred its highest civilian honor, the Legion d'Honneur, on Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan at its embassy in India on Saturday, officials said. Bachchan was presented with the award by France's ambassador to India at a lavish ceremony, the officials said. "This is to mark his achievements spanning an illustrious period," the diplomat said, adding that Bachchan was given the award for his "contribution to Indian and international culture."
■ Malaysia
Badawi blasts Internet `lies'
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has accused people of using the Internet to spread lies about him, according to a report yesterday. The prime minister also insisted he still had the support of the majority of the population despite attacks by critics. Abdullah said Malaysians were using the freedom and anonymity of the Internet and mobile text messages to make "unfounded allegations." Abdullah told the government-linked New Straits Times in an interview: "Even bloggers or those who maintain Web sites use this opportunity to create stories. Lies after lies are being told. To them, everything is not right, everything is not good."
■ Thailand
Pets to fight bombers
In the wake of New Year's Eve bombings in the Thai capital, police are recruiting pet dogs to bolster the thin ranks of its professional canine squads. And the response from pet owners has been good. "These dogs will help the police dog unit, which is now short-handed," said police Colonel Khing Khwaengwisetchaicharn. Police say they became aware of the need for more canine recruits after eight bombs exploded in and around Bangkok at the end of last year, killing three people. Khing said so far the owners of 133 German shepherds and Labradors have offered their pets for a two-day basic training program.
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